1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disc player for reproducing a record on a recording medium (mini disc) which holds information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a CD and a recording medium having a disc for recording information and being stored in a protection cartridge case, such as a mini disc cartridge (MD) of a photo magnetic recording system are highly demanded. Disc players for reproducing the discs, which have been developed in various forms, are required to have a thinner shape.
As such a disc player, those comprising a loading roller 151 for loading a disc cartridge 140 as shown in FIG. 26 can be presented. In order to achieve a thinner shape of the disc player, the driving system 160 of the loading roller 151 has been disposed at the left side to the back side with respect to a drive unit 153.
That is, the loading roller 151 and a rotation transmitting mechanism part 152 for driving the loading roller 151 are provided at the left side with respect to the drive unit 153, and a loading motor 154 and a gear row 155 are provided at the back side with respect to the drive unit 153 so that the output side of the loading motor 154 is linked with the loading roller 151 via the gear row 155 and the rotation transmitting mechanism part 152.
However, according to the conventional disc player, since the loading roller 151 is disposed at the left side with respect to the drive unit 153, the rotation transmitting system from the loading motor 154 as the driving source to the loading roller 151 (gear row 155 and the rotation transmitting mechanism part 152) needs to be provided from the back side of the drive unit 153 to the left side so that a problem arises in that a width size B of the disc player is bulky due to necessity of a large number of components and a complicated structure. Moreover, since the disc cartridge 140 is loaded according to the rotation drive of the loading roller 151, a problem is involved in that the loading speed cannot be higher than a certain speed due to generation of roller slip.
Furthermore, the floating lock of the drive unit 153 is executed by engagement of plates, which are rigid bodies in the conventional disc player. The lock by the rigid body plates cannot be provided without a certain degree of clearance. However, if the clearance is too large, the lock can be unstable due to frequent generation of backlash. In the case a buffer mechanism is added in order to avoid the inconvenience, a problem of increase of the number of components comes out.
In order to solve the aforementioned problems, an object of the invention is to provide a disc player, capable of providing a higher speed of loading a disc cartridge with a small number of components so as to achieve a simple structure and a smaller width size.
In order to achieve the object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a disc player comprising a drive unit including a drive plate having a record reproducing means, held by a base member via a floating means, and a cartridge holder held by the drive plate movably to the record reproducing means side, a loading means for moving the disc cartridge to the record reproducing means side by introducing a disc cartridge into the cartridge holder of the drive unit, an eject means for discharging the disc cartridge after reproducing the record in the disc cartridge, a lock means for locking the drive unit on the base member in the process from the reproduction of the record of the disc cartridge to the discharge of the disc cartridge, and a lock releasing means for releasing the lock by the lock means in loading the disc cartridge, wherein the loading means comprises a catch member for gripping the disc cartridge inserted in the cartridge holder, a loading arm for introducing the catch member for moving the disc cartridge to the record reproducing means side, and a swing arm to be rotated by the drive of a rotation driving system provided in the base member for rotating the loading arm as well as to be separated from the loading arm side when the loading operation of the disc cartridge is finished.
According to the configuration, when the disc cartridge is inserted into the cartridge holder of the drive unit, the disc cartridge is held by the catch member and the rotation driving system is driven so as to rotate the swing arm for rotating the loading arm according to the rotation of the swing arm so that the disc cartridge is introduced via the catch member for loading. Since the rotating swing arm is used for the rotating operation of the loading arm, the loading speed of the disc cartridge can be high. Moreover, since a roller for loading is not used, the loading motor and the rotation transmitting system (gear row and rotation transmitting mechanism part) for driving the roller for loading need not be provided from the back side to the left side with respect to the drive unit. Therefore, the structure can be simple as well as the width size of the disc player can be small with a small number of components.
Moreover, in order to achieve the object, according to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided the disc player according to the first aspect, wherein a gear fixed to the swing arm with the axis provided concentrically with the rotation center of the swing arm is linked with the output gear of the loading motor via a gear row so as to comprise the rotation driving system for the swing arm, with the swing arm and the rotation driving system disposed outward with respect to one side of the drive unit.
According to the configuration, the same effects as in the first aspect can be achieved as well as since the gear is adhered to the swing arm with the axis provided concentrically with the rotation center of the swing arm, backlash of the swing arm can be eliminated in the rotation driving system of the swing arm so that the operation error derived from the backlash of the swing arm can be eliminated. Moreover, since the swing arm and the rotation driving system are disposed outward with respect to one side of the drive unit, the width size of the disc player can be made smaller.
Furthermore, in order to achieve the object, according to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided the disc player according to the second aspect, wherein a notch part is provided in the swing arm for avoiding interference with respect to gears in the gear row.
According to the configuration, the same effects as in the first aspect can be achieved as well as since the notch part for avoiding the interference with respect to the gears in the gear row is provided in the swing arm, even after disposing the swing arm supported by a supporting part rotatably, by rotating the swing arm so as to have the notch part thereof oriented toward a supporting part supporting a gear in the gear row, the gear in the gear row can be supported by the supporting part without interference by the swing arm, and further, by rotating the swing arm so as to have the notch part thereof oriented toward another supporting part supporting another gear in the gear row, the other gear in the gear row can be supported by the other supporting part without interference by the swing arm, and thus the assembly operativity can be improved.
Moreover, in order to achieve the object, according to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided the disc player according to the first aspect, wherein the lock means comprises a plurality of peripheral lock means for locking the peripheral part of the drive unit, and an elastic lock means for pressing the entirety of the drive unit.
According to the configuration, the same effects as in the first aspect can be achieved as well as since the peripheral part (four side parts) of the drive unit can be locked by a plurality of (four) peripheral lock means as well as the entirety of the drive unit can be pressed by the elastic lock means in the case of locking the drive unit on the base member, the drive unit can be locked stably without backlash.
Furthermore, in order to achieve the object, according to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided the disc player according to the fourth aspect, wherein the peripheral lock means comprise a mode plate side lock part provided in a mode plate to be moved in the direction perpendicular to the loading direction of the disc cartridge according to the rotation of the swing arm so as to be engaged detachably with a lock part at the drive unit side when the mode plate is moved, one lock plate side lock part provided in one lock plate to be moved in the loading direction according to the movement of the mode plate so as to be engaged detachably with one side lock part at the drive unit side when the lock plate is moved, the other lock plate side lock part provided in the other lock plate to be moved in the loading direction according to the movement of the mode plate so as to be engaged detachably with the other side lock part at the drive unit side when the lock plate is moved, and a pressing member provided in a front lock plate to be moved in the direction perpendicular to the loading direction according to the movement of the lock plate for pressing the drive unit when the front lock plate is moved.
According to the configuration, the same effects as in the first aspect can be achieved as well as since the drive unit is pressed with the pressing member provided in the front lock plate, the mode plate side lock part is engaged detachably with the lock part at the back side with respect to the drive unit, the one lock plate side lock part is engaged detachably with the one side lock part of the drive unit, and the other lock plate side lock part is engaged detachably with the other side lock part of the drive unit in the case of locking the drive unit on the base member, the four sides of the drive unit can be locked, respectively, and thus the drive unit can be locked stably without backlash.
Moreover, in order to achieve the object, according to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided the disc player according to the fourth or fifth aspect, wherein the elastic lock means comprises a sub loading arm to be rotated by the rotation of the swing arm in the loading means, and a loading arm, mounted at the drive unit side rotatably by the same fulcrum, with the loading arm provided with a rotation tolerating means for tolerating a predetermined rotation with respect to the sub loading arm as well as with the tip side of the sub loading arm linked with the middle part of the loading arm via a spring member such that the sub loading arm can be rotated to the predetermined maximum rotation amount by the spring force of the spring member, interlocking with the loading arm.
According to the configuration, the same effects as in the first aspect can be achieved as well as the loading arm is rotated, interlocking with the sub loading arm according to the rotation of the swing arm of the loading means at the time of loading the disc cartridge such that the loading arm is stopped at the maximum rotation position but only the sub loading arm tensions the spring member by its rotation by the rotation tolerating means according to the further rotation of the swing arm. Because the sub loading arm and the loading arm are fixed with respect to the swing arm according to the tension of the spring member, the entirety of the drive unit can be pressed so that the drive unit can be locked stably without backlash.